Yes, genius, using Google is exactly like smoking.Except that it doesn't cause lung cancer, emphysema, or bronchitis.I don't think it causes that hacking cough and shortness of breath either.I am pretty sure it doesn't make your clothes smell freaking awful without you realizing it.I'm even pretty certain using google doesn't rack an extra room charge in a hotel or rental car.

I'm always of 2 minds about Google's obvious data mining practices. I don't particularly like how much information they probably grab from me but it does make things so damn convenient sometimes.

I actually found out a new one this week that really surprised me. I brought a new laptop and once I'd had a play around I decided it was time to start moving my bookmarked sites across from my old machine to the new one. So I went on Chrome, logged into google and then just before I could power up my old machine I noticed that all the bookmarks had already appeared. I had no idea that Google did that and it's kinda creepy but also useful.

The sound of one hand clapping:I'm always of 2 minds about Google's obvious data mining practices. I don't particularly like how much information they probably grab from me but it does make things so damn convenient sometimes.

I actually found out a new one this week that really surprised me. I brought a new laptop and once I'd had a play around I decided it was time to start moving my bookmarked sites across from my old machine to the new one. So I went on Chrome, logged into google and then just before I could power up my old machine I noticed that all the bookmarks had already appeared. I had no idea that Google did that and it's kinda creepy but also useful.

When I first activated my smartphone, it was shocking how much information it pulled down about me.

The sound of one hand clapping:I'm always of 2 minds about Google's obvious data mining practices. I don't particularly like how much information they probably grab from me but it does make things so damn convenient sometimes.

I actually found out a new one this week that really surprised me. I brought a new laptop and once I'd had a play around I decided it was time to start moving my bookmarked sites across from my old machine to the new one. So I went on Chrome, logged into google and then just before I could power up my old machine I noticed that all the bookmarks had already appeared. I had no idea that Google did that and it's kinda creepy but also useful.

It only happens if you actually log in to Google with Chrome. It's an advertised, and useful feature. Actually, I'd say some people expect that magically to happen. Anecdotally, over a decade ago I was doing an internship in IT and we were replacing this woman's computer. We asked her several times if all her data was backed up and copied and she said yes. First thing the next morning we get a call because all her bookmarks were gone... she thought they would just be stored somewhere and pulled down to her new computer automatically. Just like Chrome/Google does now. :)

What's less obvious is that if you have Chrome on your phone, it can pull up all the tabs you left open in Chrome on your desktop system! That was unexpected, but also useful. What's annoying is that it doesn't work in the other direction for some reason... :(

The sound of one hand clapping:I'm always of 2 minds about Google's obvious data mining practices. I don't particularly like how much information they probably grab from me but it does make things so damn convenient sometimes.

I actually found out a new one this week that really surprised me. I brought a new laptop and once I'd had a play around I decided it was time to start moving my bookmarked sites across from my old machine to the new one. So I went on Chrome, logged into google and then just before I could power up my old machine I noticed that all the bookmarks had already appeared. I had no idea that Google did that and it's kinda creepy but also useful.

A: That's not "data mining", it's synchronization. Data mining would be if you started getting targeted ads based on your bookmarks.B: Don't use Chrome if it scares you.C: It can be turned off.

I like it, it means that I don't have a separate set of bookmarks for work, home, phone, tablet and my wife's laptop. I have one set.

/I saw the scroogled commercial, and wondered how billion-dollar companies can have such amateur-looking ads

The terrible thing is that's really not that bad of a song, but the first place I ever even heard it was on that damn commercial, and THEN they started playing it on the radio. So instead of hit song being used in ad campaign, they had a hit song created by an ad campaign that was earwormed into our heads and made us think of farking IE every time we heard it on the radio.

The freakiest thing from this week is when I checked an address in Google Maps on my computer to make sure I had the right zip code, my phone buzzed a moment later warning me that if I wanted to drive there right now I would have to sit through six minutes of heavy traffic.

Some days I feel like if I even tried to use Bing, I would find my phone standing outside my window one day with a boombox.

evildwarf:Oh my subby, I think you're about to get slammed by an avalanche on google fans who've developed an apple level of sensitivity. Buckle up, it's gonna get rough.

I don't think so; honestly, as someone who is generally a Google fan (I love Chrome, gmail, and the google search engine) I think he's spot-on. I honestly don't care about Google using algorithms to analyze my search history and email to provide me with more relevant ads. I don't care that they're keeping track of my history and favorites in the cloud instead of locally. Honestly, I find that those things give me more than I get out of them.

While I do love me some Microsoft (and am a self-admitted evangelist for Windows 8), Bing is terrible.

The sound of one hand clapping:I'm always of 2 minds about Google's obvious data mining practices. I don't particularly like how much information they probably grab from me but it does make things so damn convenient sometimes.

I actually found out a new one this week that really surprised me. I brought a new laptop and once I'd had a play around I decided it was time to start moving my bookmarked sites across from my old machine to the new one. So I went on Chrome, logged into google and then just before I could power up my old machine I noticed that all the bookmarks had already appeared. I had no idea that Google did that and it's kinda creepy but also useful.

That's a feature of Chrome. You can sign in to your gmail account from any Chrome browser (it supports multiple users, so you can switch between) on any computer -- even your Android phone and everything is sync'ed across. This includes history, saved passwords, bookmarks, etc. You can, of course, select what to sync but I find it incredibly useful.

Telos:What's less obvious is that if you have Chrome on your phone, it can pull up all the tabs you left open in Chrome on your desktop system! That was unexpected, but also useful. What's annoying is that it doesn't work in the other direction for some reason... :(

Both the desktop and mobile browsers have "Mobile Bookmarks", "Desktop Bookmarks", "Other Bookmarks" YOu just need to go into the bookmark manager to see all three. If you are in Chrome go to the address "chrome://bookmarks/"

Gunny Walker:You know what they should do? They should rename MSN Search Windows Live SearchLive SearchMS Dewey

Bing.

All they need is a little marketing. Then everyone will use HotmailMSN HotmailWindows Live HotmailLiveOutlook.com

Office 365.

Even worse, though, is that they have like five different products all called "Microsoft Dynamics", most of which are different products which kind of look similar that do the same thing but are completely different under the hood. Dynamics SL, Dynamics GP, Dynamics AX, Dynamics CRM, Dynamics NAV. They even all look alike from screen-shots. So farking annoying.

imgod2u:That's a feature of Chrome. You can sign in to your gmail account from any Chrome browser (it supports multiple users, so you can switch between) on any computer -- even your Android phone and everything is sync'ed across. This includes history, saved passwords, bookmarks, etc. You can, of course, select what to sync but I find it incredibly useful.

Gunny Walker:All they need is a little marketing. Then everyone will use HotmailMSN HotmailWindows Live HotmailLiveOutlook.com

Sweet Baby Jeebus, Outlook.com bugs me. I do part-time work for a small, independent email provider and you'd be surprised at how many people think that "Outlook.com" = "Outlook" and get confused when the tutorials for how to configure Outlook to access our service don't look like Outlook.com. *sighs*

The funniest part of this is that MS' email service also scans your emails to target ads. They're all "Hey Gmail does this thing, so come use our service that does the exact same thing that we are trying to convince you to leave Google for."

heypete:Gunny Walker: All they need is a little marketing. Then everyone will use HotmailMSN HotmailWindows Live HotmailLiveOutlook.com

Sweet Baby Jeebus, Outlook.com bugs me. I do part-time work for a small, independent email provider and you'd be surprised at how many people think that "Outlook.com" = "Outlook" and get confused when the tutorials for how to configure Outlook to access our service don't look like Outlook.com. *sighs*

For anyone who couldn't tell that the "Bing it on" commercials are completely staged...

The results on their example page containwww.contoso.com

This is a filler domain MS uses as an example for every place where a domain or website should go. That this appears on their search commercial is a clear sign that the commercials are completely staged.

Each site seems to work perfectly well for what i'm looking for though it feels google's advertizements aren't as obnoxious.

I'm aware that gmail data-mines my email. What I take offense to is Microsoft pretending it doesn't do the exact same thing with Outlook. Both companies do the same thing, the question is who do you trust more with the information, and for me it's the 'not-Microsoft' company

Mikey1969:As for the ad campaign, I saw one of these "Scroogled" ads last night, and I kept expecting ti to be some low budget email plugin. I couldn't believe M$ would commission such a crappy commercial.

I had to youtube some of those ads... I almost, but not quite, expected someone to say, "SCROOGLED! APPLY DIRECTLY TO THE FOREHEAD!"

Gunny Walker:Telos: What's less obvious is that if you have Chrome on your phone, it can pull up all the tabs you left open in Chrome on your desktop system! That was unexpected, but also useful. What's annoying is that it doesn't work in the other direction for some reason... :(

Both the desktop and mobile browsers have "Mobile Bookmarks", "Desktop Bookmarks", "Other Bookmarks" YOu just need to go into the bookmark manager to see all three. If you are in Chrome go to the address "chrome://bookmarks/"

Not the bookmarks though, the tabs you actually have open in Chrome can be accessed from the phone's browser. The tabs you have open on your phone can't be accessed from your PC though.

theresnothinglft:For anyone who couldn't tell that the "Bing it on" commercials are completely staged...

The results on their example page containwww.contoso.com

This is a filler domain MS uses as an example for every place where a domain or website should go. That this appears on their search commercial is a clear sign that the commercials are completely staged.

Each site seems to work perfectly well for what i'm looking for though it feels google's advertizements aren't as obnoxious.

I didn't notice the URL in the commercial, but they do mention that bing is the best for "the Web's top searches", or something like that. Their wording alone made me think they were fixing the results.

Mikey1969:The sound of one hand clapping: I'm always of 2 minds about Google's obvious data mining practices. I don't particularly like how much information they probably grab from me but it does make things so damn convenient sometimes.

I actually found out a new one this week that really surprised me. I brought a new laptop and once I'd had a play around I decided it was time to start moving my bookmarked sites across from my old machine to the new one. So I went on Chrome, logged into google and then just before I could power up my old machine I noticed that all the bookmarks had already appeared. I had no idea that Google did that and it's kinda creepy but also useful.

A: That's not "data mining", it's synchronization. Data mining would be if you started getting targeted ads based on your bookmarks.B: Don't use Chrome if it scares you.C: It can be turned off.

I like it, it means that I don't have a separate set of bookmarks for work, home, phone, tablet and my wife's laptop. I have one set.

Nah, Chrome doesn't scare me, I find it to be a really useful browser. Took a little while getting used to from having been a Firefox user for many years but wouldn't go without it now. I just found it a little freaky initially since I didn't know it had that feature with the bookmarks.

The only thing making me consider turning it off (now that I know that it can) is that my, ahem, more 'adult' bookmarks are all on my laptop now too. And my laptop, unlike my desktop, will be used around other people. Nothing like dropping down the bookmark list to get to something and having everyone suddenly learn my fapping preferences. Although, that said I often rename some of those type of bookmarks with something harmless sounding anway. But every now and then I forget.

The sound of one hand clapping:The only thing making me consider turning it off (now that I know that it can) is that my, ahem, more 'adult' bookmarks are all on my laptop now too. And my laptop, unlike my desktop, will be used around other people. Nothing like dropping down the bookmark list to get to something and having everyone suddenly learn my fapping preferences. Although, that said I often rename some of those type of bookmarks with something harmless sounding anway. But every now and then I forget.

I haven't tried it myself, but I wonder if you can have a different bookmark set for "incognito" mode? I know you can determine which extensions work in incognito, it would be a nice feature to have special incognito bookmarks.

Maybe they should have never started that campaign because the information in it is over 5 years old. Anyone who ever would have cared about it knew about it years ago, and made up their minds if they liked it or not. This is like telling someone today that Dumbledore dies. No shiat, genius, where have you been?